“BECAUSE of the mining, the roads are so rough on the way from Carrascal to Cantilan [Surigao del Norte], there are no trees, there are no people, and there are no cell sites.  Ang tulisan ay nakapila, malapit sa dagat, naghihintay sila.  Yet, somehow I escape the queue of the robbers [be able] to spread the good news.” - Fr. Anthony Carreon, 2011

Every year, Immaculate Heart of Mary’s parishioners look forward to the early morning homilies of Fr. Anthony Carreon. He visits his mother, Mayde Carreon, a parishioner of IHMC, for Christmas.  His mother largely influenced his moral calling, by the way she brought up her family: introducing the Church, Sunday masses, and exposure to a lot of her friends/priests, including Cardinal Vidal, that Anthony was groomed to become a priest, since he was four.

“LAND for them (referring to the Manobos and Higaonons) is not only life, but also it is a repository of culture, their ancestors are there.  Land is the repository of their faith, their beliefs, if they are dispossessed of their land, they are dispossessed of their culture.  They must have their land to preserve their culture, their environment, their local knowledge and systems of faith.” –  Fr./Dr. Randy Odchigue, 2011

Fr. Randy Odchigue hails from Butuan, a city in Agusan Valley and once the capital of Agusan del Norte.